Diving apparatus



3 Sheets-Shet l I. H. VESTREM DIVING APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1959 April15, 1941.

April 15, 1941. I. H. VESTREM DIVING APPARATUS Filed July 21, 1939 3Sheets-Sheet 2 IvanHV 5mm abhor/M4 April 15, 1941. 1. H. VESTREM DIVINGAPPARATUS Filed July 21, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ivan H.VE strm -lowed totake place.

Patented Apr. 15, 1941 DIVING APPARATUS Ivan Hans Vestrem,

Cedar Keys, Fla., assignor of one-sixth to Manuel Kepote, Cedar Keys,Fla.,

one-sixth to Gus Mavros, one-sixth Cocoris, one-sixth to George to JamesAlafantis, all of Tarpon Springs, Fla., and one-sixth to Jack I.

Bolton, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application min, 1939, Serial No. 285,693

3 Claims.

This invention relates to helmets for diving in deep water and has forits primary object the provision of means for supplying to the helmet afactitious atmosphere which will not readily be absorbed by the blood ortissues when the diver is working under high pressures. A further objectis the provision of means for removing the exhaled carbon dioxidewithout contamination of the atmosphere and for supplying additionaloxygen to replace that consumed by the diver in the process ofrespiration. A still further object is the provision of these and otheradvantages in a self-contained device which will not require the use ofan air hose leading from the surface of the water to the helmet.

For many years, divers in the spongeindustry in Florida have been usingthe conventional diving apparatus which comprises a canvas-rubber suit,a copper helmet, and an air hose supplying air compressed by a pump uponthe deck of the boat from which the diver operates. Divers must walkmiles on the bottoms searching for sponges to detach them and send themup to the surface. Their work sends them down as deep as sixty to eightyfeet. At the pressure required to furnish a continuous supply of aid todivers at such depths, nitrogen is absorbed by the blood and thuscarriedto other body tissues. Hard work under such pressure produces acondition which increases in danger with the length of time so spent.

When a diver comes compression, the absorbed, dissolved, or occludednitrogen tends to escape, and if this action is alperiod of submersionat the high pressure resulting in a large absorption of gas, theconsequences may be very serious. The bends, as the various symptoms arecalled, range sensation to blocking of-nerve centers. paralysis, hearttrouble, and sometimes death or permanent injury. It is not practicableto use decompression apparatus with the loss of time that results, sothe divers set certain limits on the time that they will stay below andthey avoid the greater depths in which are to be found many of thefinest sponges.

The device of thepresent invention provides means by which a mixture ofoxygen and helium may be used in place of air, the mixture beingbreathed over and over again, ed at about the same rate that it isconsumed in the process of respiration, while the carbon dioxide fromthe lungs is removed chemically by passing the exhaled breath through achamber containing an absorbent with which the carbon dioxide willcombine. Divers can thus work longer and harder while breathing thismixture of because the solubility of hellits occlusion by the tissues isthat of nitrogen at the same helium and oxygen, um in the blood and verymuch less than from a slight itching oxygen being adda to show the facemask or respirator and its atout of this region of high rings or loopstoo rapidly after too long a pressure and the divers may also takeadvantage of increased oxygen percentages whenever dives of over onehundred feet, are desirable or necessary. If it becomes necessary todecompress from deep dives, there is available a supply of pure oxygento help the blood stream throw off the helium and carbon dioxide throughthe lungs.

The elimination of the air hose not only relieves the diver of the laborof dragging the extra weight around, but removes a source ofdanger.Accidents to the air to the diver.

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper part of a diving suit showingthe helmet and tanks in position; Fig. 2 is a front view of the helmetwith a portion broken away tachmentto the helmet; vation of the helmet;

Fig. 3 is a right side ele- Fig. 4 is a bottom view of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 isa rear elevation of the respirator; Fig. 6 is a vertical section throughthe nose piece of the respirator; Fig. 7 is an elevation, as seen fromthe side which is normally next to the body, of the oxygen tanks; andFig. 8 is a front elevation of the tanks that hold the mixture of heliumand oxygen.

The diving suit I may be of any ordinary or suitable construction and ithas secured thereto by a water-and-gas-tight connection, a breast plate2 which is provided at front and rear with 3 and 4 for the suspension ofthe gas tanks. At the top; the breastplate has a circular flange 5 toreceive the bottom flange 6 of a helmet -'l, which will usually be madeof "copper for use in sea water. The flanges 5 and G are securedtogether in a'well-known manner by interfitting lugs such as are shownat 8 in Fig. 4.

In the top of the helmet, bove the left side of the divers head,,is ascrew-threaded socket 5 to receive a threaded valve casing I0 to whichis attached a corrugated or bellows-like rubber tube II having at itslower end a fitting l2 secured in the side which has an inspiratoryvalve at II. The diver carefully adjusts this respirator mask to hisface and secures it in place by a strap l5 which passes back of thehead. This is done as the helmet is held over the head by the diverstender and when the mask is fitted, the helmet is set upon the flange ofthe breast plate and secured thereto. Formed upon or attached to therear of the helmet is a container l5, which, in use, is filled with acaustic soda mixture with readily takes up moisture and A filler cap l1provides access absorbent soda lime, quicklime, which carbon dioxide.

to the container opposite a partition l8 which .1

the container for twohose have often been fatal of a rubber face maskl3- a through the expiratory valve are held together by a clamp fastener28 engaging the rear ring or loop 4 on wall of the container and a tube20 connects the upper portion of the left wall with aninlet 2| in thehelmet. Exhaled air containing carbon dioxide-will thus pass throughtube It to and 22 in the casing I0, thence through the tube l9 into thelower portion of the container 16 where it must travel through the sodalime, both below the partition and above the partition before it isreturned into the helmet at the inlet 2!. The carbon dioxide andmoisture from the breath will unite with the caustic soda and lime, butthe chemically inert helium and uncor'nbined oxygen will pass throughunchanged.

The front tanks 23 are held together by a clamp 24 having a snapfastener 25 which engages within the ring or loop 3 and the rear tanks26 21 which has a snap the breast plate.

A belt 29 around the body of the diver holds the lower ends of the tanksin place and a strap 30 passed between the legs of the diver holds thebreast plate and helmet from lifting too high when the suit is inflatedand beneath the water.

Each of the tanks 23 has a valve 3! connected to a manifold 32 which isconnected by a tube 33 with a fitting 34 forming an inlet into thebreast plate 2. The gas mixture of helium and oxygen can be admitted atwill when needed, to the desired degree of pressure to keep the suitinflated by opening either valve 3%, as necessitated by the pressure atthe depth isworking. The rear tanks 26 have valves 35 connected to aregulator or reducing valve 36 to lower the high gas pressure of thetanks to a working pressure. A rubber'hose 31 connects this regulatorwith asnap-on fitting 38 on the right side of the helmet, and a pipe 39leads from the fitting 38 to an elbow 40 on the helmet connected on theinside ofthe helmet with a pressure gage 4| and an orifice 42 for theadmission of a small quantity of oxygen continuously into the helmet toagree with the rate at which oxygen is used up in respiration. A valve43 controls this inlet. A larger valve 44 allows pure oxygen to beadmitted rapidly into the helmet through an elbow 45 whenever the suitis to be inflated, in an emergency, or during decompression.

An exhaust valve 46 operated by a head piece a 41 can be opened bysidewise pressure of the divers head if desired. The pressure inside thesuit is normally kept greater than the pressure outside to keep theweight of the helmet and tanks off the divers shoulders. The buoyancy ofthe inflated suit requires the diver to wear weighted shoes to hold hisfeet down and lead weights 48 and 49 are attached to the tank assembliesin front and rear as additional ballast to keepthe diver down and inbalance.

A small tank for holding compressed air or any othercompressed gas suchas carbon dioxide may be attached as at 50 to the rear tank assembly, asa means for supplying a continuous flow of gas to give a signal upon thesurface of the'water to indicate to those on the boat where the diver islocated on the bottom.

Enough gas can be carried in the tanks for the full period a divershould remain below at one stretch; By careful use, very little heliumneeds to be lost, and the oxygen tanks at high pressure will contain an.sufficient supply to compensate for that used in respiration for a longwhile.

at which the diver before being compressed into the small tanks 23.

Helium seems to mix relatively slowly with oxygen and this procedureallows time for thorough uniformity of admixture.

The ability to supply additional oxygen at will and rapidly, and therelatively small waste of helium are features of considerable advantage.Because of the much slower rate of absorption of helium by the blood,divers can work safely at greater depths and for much longer periods oftime without danger of the bends- -It will also be evident that thediver has much greater freedom of movement with the present device thanwhen he is forced tojclrag around a heavy air hose, and the flexiblerespirator tube permits free movement of the divers head and absence ofstrain as compared with those devices in which the diver is compelled tohold a mouthpiece mounted rigidly on the helmet, in his teeth or withhis lips and thus to turn the whole body in order to turn the head.

The annual cost of air hose is a very considerable part of the cost ofoperation, and this device saves all that expense besides the cost ofrunning the pump.

It will be evident that many changes in details of construction and inthe proportions and manner of arrangement of out departure from theinvention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A diving apparatus comprising a helmet, a pressure tank communicatingtherewith for supplying at will a mixture of helium and oxygen, a secondpressure tank communicating with said helmet and having two controlvalves, one to supply a small quantity of oxygen continuously tocompensate for amounts converted into carbon dioxide, and the other tosupply a large amount of oxygen at will.

3. A diving apparatus comprising a helmet, a

pressure tank containing'helium and oxygen un der pressure, andcommunicating with the helmet, a valve for controlling said tank, asecond pressure tank containing oxygen under pressure with said helmetand a valve parts may be made with-

